


If You'll Stop Calling Me 'Benton'

by Mungo_of_Maundery



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Dating, Don't get me wrong, Gen, I adore Jo, but poor Mike
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-20 02:57:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7387774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mungo_of_Maundery/pseuds/Mungo_of_Maundery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike gets stood up when Jo goes to Peladon with the Doctor. Thankfully Benton is around to pick up the slack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If You'll Stop Calling Me 'Benton'

**Author's Note:**

> I went through a very brief but intense Bates phase a few months ago - nowadays I'm not so sure that I ship it as a long term thing, but I certainly think it was a thing for a while before Invasion of the Dinosaurs. 
> 
> Also I really need some fix-it for Jo because I adore her and I loathe her Welsh husband. But that's by-the-by. Enjoy this short thing I made :)

Mike Yates shivered, curled himself further into his jacket and clapped his hands together awkwardly to dispel some of the cold, trying his level best not to feel resentful. It wasn’t a particularly cold night, after all, and he’d only been waiting half an hour. He checked his watch again. Three quarters of an hour. Should he be worried? Suppose she’d been attacked, or, more likely, abducted by aliens. Or else she’d been held up with the Doctor. The two, he reflected, were not mutually exclusive. 

It started to rain. Mike shuffled closer to the wall, tried not to sulk, and failed miserably. This wasn’t how he’d planned to spend his evening: wet, tired, hungry and alone. 

Someone turned the corner onto the street and Mike looked up hopefully, then dropped his face again, praying not to be recognised. Oh no. Benton. Strolling along, still in uniform, without a care in the world except for the rain. God, the man was almost whistling.

‘Oh, hullo sir.’ Mike cringed inwardly. ‘Bit wet for hanging about, isn’t it?’

‘I’d say so, yes, Benton.’ Mike tried to keep the acerbity to a minimum. He was damned if he was going to take this out on Benton of all people.

‘What’re you doing here then?’ 

‘Waiting for a bus, Benton. What do you think?’ Damn. He drew a breath. ‘Sorry. Long day.’

‘Tell me about it, sir. Never thought I’d have to spend fourteen hours cleaning up after pink octopus monsters after the earth’s mineral deposits.’

Mike smiled in spite of himself. Another long silence ensued. Benton showed no signs of shifting. In fact, he stood resolutely against the wall, blocking the rain, which was nice of him. Oh, but it would be awkward if Jo were to turn up with Benton hanging around him. 

He was about to open his mouth to say something when Benton said, ‘If you’re waiting for Jo, sir, she’s gone.’

That gave him a start. ‘Gone? Gone where?’

Benton made a helpless gesture. ‘She and the Doctor up and left about an hour ago. No sign of them anywhere. Looks like the Doc’s got that crazy TARDIS thing of his working again.’

‘Oh. Right.’ Typical! He waited all this time and the girl had buggered off with some other chap!

Benton was watching him, and it was making him nervous. 

‘Well?’ Mike asked finally. 

‘Well what, sir?’ Benton was pulling his innocent face. 

‘Well, aren’t you – hang on! How did you know I was waiting for Jo?’

Benton looked sheepish. ‘She told me, sir.’

‘Did she tell you she was going to go off with the Doctor?’ Well that sounded more bitter than he’d intended. 

‘No, sir. I didn’t see them before they left, but I – look it’s too cold to be standing about in the rain. Since Miss Grant’s not likely to be turning up, you could always… er. Well you could – ’ Benton shuffled.

‘Spit it out, Benton.’ Benton was looking genuinely flustered. This was new.

‘You could come in with me, sir. If you want,’ Benton said with a desperate gesture. 

It was a fight not to smile. Mike straightened up. ‘Alright.’ 

Benton’s face split into a grin, and Mike held up a hand, adding, ‘But only if you stop calling me “sir” when we’re off duty, Benton.’

‘Of course.’ A sneaking look of mischief came into Benton’s eyes. ‘If you’ll stop calling me “Benton”.’

It was with an unpleasant shock of guilt that Mike realised that he didn’t know Benton by any other name. He’d heard his first name once, a long time ago, and long since forgotten it. He faltered, ‘What should I call you?’

Benton raised his eyebrows, but didn’t look upset, Mike saw to his relief. ‘John.’

‘Of course. Lead on, John.’


End file.
